ABS (Marine Classification Society) and JB Energy (floating offshore wind energy company) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on strategic studies for the Aura Sul Wind Project, a floating offshore wind pilot under consideration in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with a focus on port emissions reduction and decommissioning planning.

Partnership Scope and Focus Areas

The agreement, announced, designates ABS as a technical partner across two primary workstreams tied to the proposed project. The first involves emissions reduction strategies for the Port of Rio Grande, while the second centers on developing a preliminary decommissioning strategy for JB Energy's Raijin Float platform, a concrete-based semi-submersible floating wind foundation.

Under the emissions reduction workstream, the studies will address electrification, renewable energy integration, low-carbon logistics, clean fuel opportunities, and related port infrastructure.

The decommissioning workstream will examine removal concepts, towing and transport, dismantling, port logistics, environmental and safety considerations, and opportunities for recycling and reuse of the concrete-based Raijin Float platform.

Rob Langford, ABS Vice President of Global Offshore Markets, said that floating offshore wind development depends on strong regional infrastructure and clear life-cycle planning from the outset. He described the collaboration as one that will advance safe, sustainable and economically viable offshore wind development in Brazil.

JB Energy's Raijin Float Platform

JB Energy is a Japanese engineering and technology company focused on floating offshore wind development through proprietary technologies and integrated engineering solutions.

The company developed the Raijin Float, a concrete semi-submersible floating foundation intended for next-generation offshore wind turbines. JB Energy is also the developer and technical leader of the Aura Sul Wind Project, which it describes as coordinating an international ecosystem of industrial partners, research institutions, and government organizations.

Rodolfo Gonçalves, CEO of JB Energy, emphasized that the most sustainable offshore wind structures are those whose entire lifecycle has been considered from day one.

He said the collaboration with ABS integrates port decarbonization, lifecycle thinking, and innovative decommissioning strategies into the Aura Sul Wind Project from its earliest stages, and expressed his view that the work will help establish new benchmarks for sustainable floating offshore wind development, both in Brazil and for future projects globally.

ABS Role in Offshore Wind

ABS, headquartered in Houston, describes itself as a global leader in classification services with more than 160 years of experience setting standards for safety and excellence in the marine and offshore industries.

The organization provides technical advisory services across a range of areas, including clean technology, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. In the offshore wind sector, ABS delivers advisory and technical review solutions aimed at minimizing risk and enhancing safety for project stakeholders.

The MOU signing was attended by representatives from both organizations, including Rafael Torres, ABS Director of Global Offshore; Lorrane Oliveira, ABS Senior Account Executive of Global Offshore; Luciana Passos, ABS Manager of Offshore Accounts; Gabriela Joelsas Timerman, JB Energy's Chief Sustainability and Regulatory Officer; and Gonçalves.

Brazil's Floating Wind Development Context

The Aura Sul Wind Project is positioned as a pilot initiative in Rio Grande do Sul, a southern Brazilian state. The project represents part of a broader effort to bring floating offshore wind technology to Brazil, a market that has seen growing interest in offshore renewable energy development.

The port of Rio Grande, which would serve as a key logistics hub for the project, is itself a focus of the emissions reduction studies being undertaken through the ABS collaboration.

The concrete foundation design of the Raijin Float distinguishes it from more commonly referenced steel-based floating wind platforms. By incorporating decommissioning considerations at the preliminary project stage, JB Energy and ABS are aiming to address one of the longer-term challenges associated with large-scale offshore wind deployment, namely the end-of-life management of floating structures in deepwater environments.

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